1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for playing online social games, and more particularly, methods, systems, and computer programs for generating revenue in an online game.
2. Description of the Related Art
Online games that allow players to interact with other players have become popular. Some online games, such as chess or bridge, have a small number of players that play together at the same time. Other online games, such as Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games, can have a large number of players playing simultaneously. Online game operators, also referred to as social game operators, harness the power of online social networks, to design games that closely integrate the players' social graph data with their existing friendship connections.
Many online games have in-game currencies (e.g., betting currency in card games) for making progress in the game (e.g., betting) or for purchasing game items (e.g., buying a virtual drink), and different types of virtual currencies may coexist in the same game (e.g., chips and casino gold). In general, currency may be bought using real currency or may be earned during the game. Some virtual currencies (e.g., New York Dollars, Cuban Pesos, and Moscow Rubles used in Zynga Game Network's Mafia Wars game) may not be exchanged between each other, while other virtual currency types may be exchanged in game-defined ways (e.g., Reward Points may be used to purchase New York Dollars, but New York Dollars may not be used to purchase Reward Points).
In some instances, players accumulate so much virtual currency in a game that the players do not need to buy more virtual currency to play the game, limiting the revenue opportunities for the online game operators. Sometimes players amass large amounts of currency by using game exploits, commonly referred to as “cheats.”
It is in this context that embodiments arise.